The present invention in a preferred embodiment provides a system and method that is distinctive from prior art systems and methods. For example, several non-technical publications propose subjective physical characteristics to distinguish live, male age classes of deer; the most common body features were stomach and chest girth and their relationship to each other (Kroll 1996, Demarais et al. 1999, Richards and Brothers 2003). Age determination using these subjective descriptions of age-related changes in body features requires the user to visually estimate relationships without the ability to take specific measurements of unrestrained animals. The most commonly accepted method used by biologists to age animals such as deer is by examining the jaw bone and by using the tooth replacement and wear technique. That method for aging animals and deer consists of examining replacement and wear characteristics of the teeth (Severinghaus 1949) and requires killing the animal or deer and removal of the jaw for examination by a trained biologist. Research has shown that the tooth replacement and wear method is only 25% accurate above the age of 2 years (Gee, et al. 2002).
One current method of aging live deer, using a subjective evaluation of relative body features (Kroll, 1996; Demarais, et al. 1999; Richards and Brothers, 2003), averaged only about 24% accuracy for animals above 2 years of age (Gee, et al. 2013). The present invention uses quantitative measurements that can be collected by relatively untrained individuals to estimate animal age with accuracy levels superior to the tooth replacement and wear technique of Severinghaus, and this is accomplished without having to kill the animal. Accuracy of the present invention was approximately 54% during the pre-rut period and approximately 62% during the post-rut period.
No other software system or method exists like the invention that estimates ages of animals and specifically deer. The present invention in a preferred embodiment is distinguishable from prior art systems and methods mainly because it uses objective measurements taken of an unrestrained animal from photographs and calculates specific, quantified ratios that are associated with specific age classes of animals. An accurate, live-animal, age estimation technique is needed because age distribution is an essential component of animal and white-tailed deer management strategies based on population dynamics (Govern et al. 2006). The software of the present invention utilizes novel predictive equations to estimate the age of animals, such as deer and the like. The invention is capable of age grouping of animals with a high accuracy rate.
A need and demand exists by animal scientists, wildlife biologists and managers, and animal enthusiasts for an effective and accurate system for estimating animal age and related characteristics. The present invention provides a system and method based upon computer software to estimate and calculate the age of animals using photographs and complex models comprised of predictive equations.